Plate glass surfacing car



Jan. 19, 1937. w. OWEN PLATE GLASS sunmcme CAR 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed April 50, 1936 INVENTOR. 60/1. 1.. lnM (Du/E N 6% A TORNEYS.

BYQ I Jan. 19, 1937. w. OWEN PLATE GLASS SURFACING CAR Filed April 30, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR. lull-z. IHM CLUE/V @u/ j TTORNEYS.

PLATE GLASS SURFACING CAR Filed 'April 30, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 I JNVEN TOR.

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Patented Jan. 19, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PLATE GLASS SURFACING GAR- William Owen, Pittsburgh, Pa, assignor to Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company, Allegheny County, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application April 30, 1936, Serial No. 77,184

3 Claims. (Cl. 51240) The invention relates to cars or trucks for carthe cars being arranged in a continuous line or series with their ends abutting. In such an operation, it is important that the upper surfaces of the tables and of the glass sheets shall be maintained on the same level, so that the runners '0 of the machines shall pass smoothly from one sheet of glass to the next to avoid breakage, and so that the work of surfacing shall be properly distributed over both sheets during the time the abutting ends of the two cars are passing beneath the runner. A means for accomplishing this result is shown in the patent to A. L. Harrington No. 1,631,126, dated June '7, 1927, wherein pairs of overlapping toes are provided at the meeting ends of the cars, so arranged that the end of neither car can move up or down relative to the other. The toes employed in the Harrington construction are rigid, and while they accomplish the desired function when the construction is new and the track in perfect condition, a,- they do not operate satisfactorily after the track becomes uneven or after wear between the toes develops ,lost motion. The present invention is designed to overcome this difficulty by providing interlocking toes which will prevent relative vertical movement of the abutting car ends after a long period of use has worn the contacting surfaces of the toes. Briefly stated, this result is accomplished by mounting one pair of the toes for vertical movement and controlling such movement by spring means of such power as to maintain the table ends against relative vertical movement under operating conditions. The springs take up any lost motion due to the wearing of the contacting surfaces, so that the upper faces of the tables at the joint are held in alinement at all times. To facilitate the coupling operation, means operated by the movement of the cars are provided for maintaining the spring operated toes in retracted position until the adjacent ends of the cars are in engagement, after which the toes are released, so that they assume operative position. One embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

50 Figure 1 is a partial plan view of a part of one of the car structures equipped with the improvement. Fig. 2 is a partial side elevation and partial section at the car ends. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line IIIIII of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is 55 a diagrammatic perspective View showing the relation of the fixed and movable toes and the contact surfaces with which they coact. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional View illustrating a modification.

Referring to the drawings, 6 is one of the wheel frames which is bolted to the car or table 1, such table abutting the end of the next car or table 8. The wheel frames carry the wheels I!) which ride on the track I I. Secured rigidly to the wheel frames of the car 8 is a pair of toes I2, l2 (Fig. 4) which are adapted to slide beneath wear plates l3 (Fig. 2) having downwardly facing contact surfaces rigidly mounted in the wheel frames. These toes i2 prevent the end of the car 8 from moving upwardly with respect to the end of the car 1. Also carried by the wheel frames of the car 8 are the downwardly facing wear plates l4, l4 (Figs..2 and 4) beneath which the pair of toes l5, it on the car I are adapted to slide. These toes are spring-supported, as later explained,'and prevent the end of the car 'i from moving upwardly'with. respect to the end of the car 8. Only one fixed toe and one spring-supported toe are shown in detail in Figs. 1 to 3, but it will be understood that the other set of toes is the same in construction.

The spring-supported toe I5 is mounted on, and in fact part of, the arm it which has a forked end ll (Fig. 1) fulcrumed on a pin 48. The pin it is supported in a block i9 secured by bolts to the wheel frame 6. The arm extends rearwardly from its pivot point, being curved outwardly to clear the wheel frame (Fig. 1), and is provided at its rear end with a socket in which is mounted a powerful coil spring 2| (Figs. 2 and 3). The spring bears at its upper end against a shoulder 22 and the wheel frame. The strength And of the spring and the proportions of the level are such that, with a standard 10 foot surfacing car or table, the upward pressure of the' toe I 5 on the wear plate 14 tending to lift the end of the car 8 is about 10,000 pounds. This insures that there will be no lost motion between any of the toes and their wear plates, even after the surfaces are worn, and that there will be no relative up and down movement along the joint 23 (Fig. 2) between the car ends.

The rear end of the arm I6 is guided on the bolt 24 extending through the spring and is limited in its downward movement (when the toe I5 is out of engagement with its wear plate M) by means of a stop bolt 25 which is threaded into the table top casting (Fig. 3), and carries the nuts 26 on its lower end beneath the shoulder 21 of the arm,

When the cars are being coupled together, the toe l5 must be depressed, so that it will slide be neath the wear plate I4, and for this purpose a roller 28 is provided on the arm l6, which roller rides on a cam 29 mounted at the side of the track H, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3. The cam is located at the point where the cars are coupled together, so that the roller rides up on the inclined surface 39 (Fig. 2) of the cam just before the cars engage, thus compressing the spring 2| and moving the toe l5 down to the position shown so that it just clears the wear plate I4. When the arm reaches this position, its rear end is automatically engaged by the latch 3! which is pivoted on the wheel frame on the pin 32, and is swung forward by the leaf spring 33 to the holding position shown in Fig. 2.

After the cars are in engagement, and on a further travel, the roller 28 rides off of the cam 29 leaving the arm 16 held in its release position only by the latch. On a further travel of the cars, the latch strikes an abutment 34, causing it to swing to the left and releasing the arm l6, so that the toe I5 at the forward end of the arm moves up and applies a powerful upward pressure on the wear plate 14. It will be understood that 'the amount of this pressure will depend on the size and weight of the cars and that the specific figure heretofore given may be modified to meet requirements.

Fig. 5 illustrates a modification, in which the wear plates Ma and i5a, corresponding respectively to the parts 4 and I5 of Fig. 2, are provided with inclined coacting surfaces, instead of with parallel surfaces. This arrangement provides a coupling which permits the dragging forward of the car I by the car 8. It also tends to prevent any separation of the cars at the joint 23.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with a pair of abutting cars, of means for maintaining the top surfaces of the abutting ends flush, which comprises a downwardly facing contact surface on each car end, a rigid toe projecting from the end of one car and adapted to slide beneath the contact surface of the other car when the cars are brought aoeaoes into abutting relation, a pivoted arm on the other car having a toe adapted to project beneath the contact surface on the first car when the cars are brought into abutting relation, and a spring in operative relation with said arm arranged to force the toe carried thereby upward so that it tends to lift the first car when the car ends abut.

2. In combination with a pair of abutting cars, of means for maintaining the top surfaces of the abutting ends flush, which comprises a downwardly facing contact surface on each car end, a rigid toe projecting from the end of one car and adapted to slide beneath the contact surface of the other car when the cars are brought into abutting relation, a pivoted arm on the other car having a toe adapted to project beneath the contact surface on the first car when the cars are brought into abutting relation, a spring in operative relation with said arm arranged to force the toe carried thereby upward so that it tends to lift the first car when the car ends abut, a latch adapted to engage the arm when such arm is moved so that the toe carried thereby is below operative position, and means along the line of travel of the cars for releasing the latch.

3. In combination with a pair of abutting cars, of means for maintaining the top surfaces of the abutting ends flush, which comprises a downwardly facing contact surface on each car end, a rigid toe projecting from the end of one car and adapted to slide beneath the contact surface of the other car when the cars are brought into abutting relation, a pivoted arm on the other car having a toe adapted to project beneath the contact surface on the first car when the cars are brought into abutting relation, a spring in operative relation with said arm arranged to force the toe carried thereby upward so that it tends to lift the first car when the car ends abut, cam means along the line of travel of the cars for moving the arm so that the toe carried thereby lies below operative position, an automatic latch for engaging the arm and holding it in said last position, and means along the line of travel of the cars for releasing the latch.

WILLIAM OWEN. 

